The Haifa Magistrate's Court released convicted child abuser Oren Korido to house arrest over the weekend, after no attorney could be found to sign the prosecution statement thanks to the ongoing prosecutors' strike.

Police said the decision posed a genuine threat to society.

Korido was arrested two weeks ago for trying to solicit young boys to have sex with him over the Facebook social networking website. The arrest was prompted by a Channel 1 report, in which a journalist pretended to be a 15-year-old boy and Korido was documented persuading the reporter to meet at a commercial area in Haifa.

The police were scheduled to submit a prosecutor's statement last week, ahead of an indictment, but no prosecutor could sign it because of the strike, which began in mid-November. The court instead sent Korido to house arrest for 35 days, banning him from using the Internet or contacting minors during this period.

Korido is a convicted sex offender who, together with his brother Shlomi, has already spent several years in prison for child abuse. The two moved to Haifa three years ago, settling in an apartment in the city's Hadar neighborhood.

A year ago, the two brothers were arrested on suspicion of abusing two teenagers in the neighborhood, but were released due to lack of evidence.

Oren Korido's release to house arrest has prompted senior police officers in the northern district to slam the prosecutors' strike, saying it is hurting the fight against crime and endangering public safety. A police statement said the strike has resulted in the release of suspects who they have gone to great lengths to apprehend, including two men suspected of armed robbery and firing on police officers.

The prosecutors association is to meet today and discuss the future of the strike, following the collapse of negotiations with the Finance Ministry late last week.

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